Aviation opened up the world to us, now it needs our support to get airborne again
As an island nation, Ireland relies heavily on connectivity and access to the world at large. Photo: Tom Burke
My mother came of age in the early years of the Free State, and over the course of her lifetime two aspects of being Irish made her hugely proud. One was the “little green passport” with “Eire” embossed on the front cover. The other was the sight of an Aer Lingus aircraft flying the flag to international destinations.
In 1950, along with many other Irish people, including President Sean T O’Kelly and his wife Phyllis, she was thrilled to fly to Rome for the Holy Year, travelling with the national airline. Ireland was open to the world.
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